String trimmers and brush cutters are commonly used outdoor handheld tools used for lawn maintenance. String trimmers and brush cutters typically utilize a spinning trimmer head having trimmer line, blades, a combination thereof, or the like that extend from the trimmer head, wherein the trimmer head spins at a high rotational velocity in order to chop, trim, or otherwise cut vegetation.
Trimmer heads for string trimmers are typically formed as either a fixed-line trimmer head or a bump-head trimmer head, but continuous- or gravity-feed trimmer heads are also known in the art. The fixed-line trimmer heads include a thicker, more rigid trimmer line that extends from the trimmer head, wherein the thicker trimmer line is better able to withstand extended use before needing to be replaced. The bump-head trimmer heads include a thinner, more flexible trimmer line that extends from the trimmer head, wherein the flexible trimmer line often breaks easily so a larger supply of wound trimmer line is needed in order to supply additional trimmer line when the portion extending from the trimmer head breaks or needs replaced.
Trimmer heads are typically single-type, so a trimmer head is usually either solely a fixed-line trimmer head or solely a bump-head trimmer head. A need therefore exists for a multi-mode trimmer head that can provide a fixed-line operating mode as well as a bump-feed operating mode.